A thrust plate is associated with a crankshaft and/or camshaft of an engine to restrict the movement of the crankshaft/camshaft. The thrust plate may be disposed about the crankshaft/camshaft such that, a surface of the crankshaft/camshaft mates with at least a portion of the thrust plate. The crankshaft/camshaft of the engine may be made of a material such as steel. The thrust plate is sometimes also made of the same or similar ferrous material as that of the crankshaft/camshaft. The mating of these two surfaces, that is the thrust plate and the crankshaft/camshaft, which are made of the same material may lead to high wear rates on the given surfaces.
Known solutions include the use of a material, such as, for example, bronze, or aluminum bronze that is different from the material of the crankshaft/camshaft. A bronze thrust plate may exhibit good wear resistance properties. However, such materials may not provide the required strength and stiffness to the thrust plate. Also, the use of such materials for forming the thrust plate may pose cost consideration issues.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,992 discloses an annular thrust bearing composed of an annular backing plate made of steel and an annular bearing layer joined to one side of the backing plate during a sintering operation. The bearing layer is made of an alloy composed of copper, tin and silver. The bearing layer is roll-formed in a spiral fashion after the sintering operation.